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The Plant Sale Concludes

It was a beautiful day out in the gardens. It was a cold start this morning with temperatures in the upper 30 degrees F. Some of our volunteers reported seeing patchy frost this morning but I think we’re in the clear for now and are leaving some tender items out tonight. We didn’t see any damage on our plants. The third day clearance at the Spring Plant Sale saw some traffic today and it’s nice to clear out a couple more plants. Our remaining vegetables are donated to area community gardens and youth programs. Joy, Joan, Corky, Mary W. and Tina all helped with the sale today with some set-up help from Janice. I had to check on some projects out in the gardens and took all of these photos today. There is so much color but our weeds are starting to gain momentum and will have to be addressed in a timely manner. Further below is more color from today.

Big John and Terry barely made it in to the gardens for a shrub addition (planting) and a tree removal. They then made four consecutive trips to an area grower and came back with some sizeable loads of annuals. The guys also helped water and work on some plant sale related tasks. Janice came in to get the plant sale going and Cindy spent time in the Smelly Garden with some weeding and removals. I was able to get out in the gardens but will have some desk work to finalize this plant sale as we transition in to all of our own planting.

‘Princeton Gold’ Norway maple (Acer platanoides)

‘Rosa Stolz’ dwarf sea thrift (Armeria juniperifolia)

‘Korean Snow’ hosta (Hosta sp.)

Red Fox Katsuratree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Rotfuchs’)

‘Origami Red & White’ columbine (Aquilegia hybrida)

Good volunteers were in abundance today. Aside from our plant sale volunteers mentioned above, we had quite a few gardeners out there as well. Marv (above) spent significant time on his moss area and continues to do battle with some invasive weeds. Dick P. (below) continued to install memorial bricks in various locations. Jan R. (second photo down) did a nice job clearing out a solid cartload of weeds from the Scottish garden which has been her “assigned garden” for many years. She always does a great job. Dr. Gredler (third photo down) did some painting and mowing. Eva (fourth photo down, hiding), Kathy (fifth photo down) and Kay (sixth photo down with her eyes closed..) all converged on the woodland walk garden for continued weeding. The timing is perfect as we hope to mulch that garden very soon. The ladies did a great job. Maury (seventh photo down) was in to work on various projects and ran errands. We also saw Dick H. (working on a truck), Vern (carpentry), Alice C. and many others today. Further below are some additional plant photos from today.

I am the Director of Horticulture at Rotary Gardens (Janesville, WI). Along with a talented grounds staff and dedicated volunteers, I enjoy being involved with this wonderful botanical resource. My educational background is in landscape architecture and urban forestry but it didn't take long to become a plant enthusiast and find a lifelong career.